Blessings in abundence, wine boxes, joy and favour!

Hi you gems






So here we are on the eve of my 51st birthday and I cannot believe that it is almost a year since I celebrated my 50th. In fact I was in London recently with an ex -student who is also a friend ( whose boyfriend cannot believe she would socialise with her teacher years later!) when we passed the restaurant in Piccadily and we both remarked how quickly time has passed. There have been abundent wow moments to last me a lifetime last year, so thank you to all those amazingpeople who have been part of that.




The other day I was thinking "Lord this year cannot be as amazing as the last 12 months" but then I thought WHY NOT? That thinking is not Biblical and I immediately dismissed it. It can be even better than last year as He is an amazing God. Last week in church there was a prophetic word which was " I am intimately concerned about every circumstance of your life and I your God do not stand apart. Come to Me, pour out your soul to Me lay your plans before Me and I will lead you in all I have for you. "So let us see.

As some of you know I got the date wrong on the flight to Burma and booked for the 21st and not the 28th May as half term is later this year! Ah!!I had a peace in booking, had prayed loads but still got it wrong and I AM still in correspondence with the airline who have not even had the decency to reply, despite phone calls, a letter and an email. I offered to give the difference in price to the earthquake victims as frankly the airline does not need it but it all fell on deaf ears! No surprises there but if you do not ask you never get in life. My dad died on 26th May last year and of course I was in Burma so somehow thought it must be the same week and wasn't!! Of course in GCSE we learn about stewardship and wealth and poverty so my atheist colleague and I who have an on going laugh about this kind of stuff, asked me what kind of God I had who was happy to give my money to the airline and not the poor!! Good question Lord and I have no answer!!I am off to the smallest state Kayah which is pretty difficult to get into and impossible without permission from the Burmese Govt but feel sure I will go. I really hope dear Thuzar will come too but her dad is not well so we will see. He must of course take priority.



You will remember on the last blog I spoke about wine boxes. I was waiting in ST Albans to go to a friends for lunch when I thought God said go into the wine shop to which I replied "Lord not even I can drink wine at 11 am! ( wonder if the angels were saying who is she kidding Lord!). "I asked for a box because I use them as tables ( violins out) and the one he showed me was average BUT when he turned it over someone has written LOVE in large red letters on the back! I then saw one with THE GRACE OF GOD ON and thought I MUST have that. I said mad as it sounds I am a Christian and grace and love were real keys for me last year please can I have them to which he replied no as the grace one held a bottle worth £68. I said if they are going to pay that they would not give a stuff about the box so he let me have them both and after varnishing they are in my lounge to remind me about what is important!!


This morning I heard Simon King the wildlife photographer on Aled Jones's Good Morning Sunday show on Radio 4. Would definately recommend a listen to it from about 8. 35. as it was so uplifting. He spoke about the fact that children automatically have a delight and fascination about nature but we can lose it when we get older. It is so obvious but it made me think in a different way. He was not linking it to God as he said he was spiritual rather than religious, but I thought wow Lord could you have made up with the inbuilt appreciation of Your world?


I went up to Manchester yesterday and saw my sister, brother in law and niece so it was great to travel up 1st class ( for an extra £1 and have freebies) but the place I choose for lunch with 3 courses for £12 off toptable was a complete joke and utterly pretentious. To be fair the manager did ask what we thought, so we were honest and said several things. She will contact me in an attempt to give them another chance at the London branch. We did end up laughing about it but I was so hungry that I was tempted to go the Cornish Pasty place on the way back! Good job my poor brother in law was having a barbecue later in the evening.

I managed to find an East jacket in Harrods or maybe it was Oxfam. I have waited 15 years to find such a one and it was originally fawn so after 5 washes with dye I eventually got the right colour!! I even congratulated East on their clothes and rang Dylon to say brill dyes used them for years!


I am reading about 8 books at present from an old Joanna Trollope, several on Burma in preparation for the trip, some Christian ones especially John Orberg which has a great chapter which I keep re-reading about God searches for hiding people. I love it.


Thank you to all those who I have met this month and enjoyed rich quality times with. They include many dear people: Claire in Cambridge and visiting Granchester where Rupert Brooke was, Lea in the morning and then Judith in Norwich, ( brill to see you both after 4 years, Gill you complete gem praying for you in your loss, lovely to spend time with you and have a real laugh despite your sadness and I am humbled by the way you have gone through bereavement, your 50th and an Ofsted in the space of 10 days, Lisa, Janet, Lynne, Katrina. Thanks to all of you and so great to spend time with you.

I heard an amazing talk last week by the wonderful Liz about shame and guilt where she said the human heart cannot cope with hidden shame and guilt and guilt is what happens to us through our own actions or others but shame is what we feel about ourselves and is far more deadly. It set me thinking. Shame seems to bring death to the heart and spirit not life.

I have been thinking about quotes recently:

That is why waiting does not diminish us anymore than waiting does not diminish a pregnant woman. We are enlarged in the waiting. We of course don't see what is enlarging us. But the longer the wait the more He does within us.. Romans 8 The Message



Basil Hume " In the person who truly loves me unconditionally I discover the One who loves me most"


"Have a heart that never hardens and a touch that never hurts" Charles Dickens


We shall not find life if we refuse to let go of our precious protected selves. " Rowan Williams



I have also attended 2 concerts recently one by the wonderful Sixteen and Harry Christophers who signed my 50th birthday book last year playing Tallis and Byrd which is too early for me and the following week I heard Bach. I felt clearly to sit somewhere different than where I always sit. I sat next to a couple in their 70's who were in the same prayer group one of my dearest friend's mum whose husband ordained the husband 50 years ago. Wow Lord. What a conversation!! Time and time again it has been amazing to have such wonderful conversations on trains, planes and in all kinds of places just as someone prophecied over me 20 years ago. It is exciting!

At last after 14 years of being in the same church I have finally got to know Liz B even though I have been told on so many occasions that we should have been friends years ago as we have the same sense of humour and a certain wackiness!! Wackiness. What CAN they be thinking. Finally it has happened and we finally went to a concert together. Some things are definately worth waiting for so Liz here is to many more social get togethers. Are you groaning!Talking about music do go and listen to CHRISTINE PLUHAR on Amazon where the wow factor, purity of sound and richness is breath taking. I was raving about it to the Head one morning and was astounded to find that she had brought one of her CD's in for me to listen to that day. Incredible and it made the shock of the first day back after Easter much easier.

So by the next posting I will have celebrated several times, we will have had an election and I will have been to Burma. By the way if people missed the Tropic of Cancer last week about Burma do go and hear it. I am also arranging to have lunch or coffee with somone I met at the top of Mount Victoria in Chin State last year. Mind you I am still waiting for my passport from the Embassy which has taken longer than ever and we cannot possibly be queuing to get in so must go up and chase or phone.
Lots of love you amazing and much loved people. Just watching the last series of Foyle with the wonderful Michael Kitchen.

Fliss xx

PS Sorry for the same photos but this blog has been a real pain as kept disappearing!